The present invention is a training device and method, for use in teaching an athlete to use the proper and desired motions in performing an exercise, such as rowing. In particular, the device and method of the present invention teach the athlete to perform complex motions in the most efficient manner.
In rowing, an athlete performs work on oars across several muscle groups. For ease of explanation, these muscle groups can be categorized in three groups, namely legs, back, and arms. A rower's performance can be limited by the sequence of muscle group initiation.
The handle of the oar, at the beginning of a rowing stroke, is moving at its lowest speed relative to the boat. Then, during the stroke, the oar handle is accelerated through the end of the stroke. If the athlete pulls with the arms prematurely, prior to initiating effort with the legs, the athlete's arms will tire, and this could lead the athlete to believe that his or her arms are being effectively exercised because the load feels high. In effect, the work done on the oar is substantially less than if the arms start to pull on the oars later in the drive sequence.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to teach the athlete to avoid using the arms at all, at the beginning of the stroke.
The same holds true for the use of the back muscles, prior to the time that the legs have brought the handle to a velocity such that the back can effectively contribute acceleration. In other words, one does not want the back to be doing work at the beginning of the rowing stroke.
The present invention teaches the athlete not to initiate the use of the arms or back too early in the exercise cycle. The device of the present invention makes it difficult for the athlete to do the exercise incorrectly, and thereby trains the athlete to perform the exercise in the most efficient manner.
Complex motions are those motions that use several muscle groups or joints. A common complex training lift is a power clean. A power clean is a lift where an athlete starts in a standing position and lifts a barbell from the floor to his or her chin level. This motion requires both strength and proper technique across the involved muscle groups. Common technical errors will limit the athlete's performance. These technical errors involve the initiation of a smaller muscle group prior to the mass of the barbell reaching a velocity that can be accelerated by the joining muscle group.
For the example of the power clean, the correct technique involves initiating the stroke by pushing with the legs until the mass is moving upward fast enough where the back can contribute to the acceleration. The back and legs at this point are working simultaneously until the mass is moving fast enough where the arms can contribute to the upward velocity. At this point the legs, back, and arms are accelerating the mass upward. If the smaller muscle groups are initiated prior to the mass moving upward fast enough, the smaller muscles will fail to accelerate the mass and the athlete will be limited in the mass used, not due to strength but due to technique.
For either the power clean or the rowing motion, the larger muscle groups supply the greatest amount of energy and are used during the slowest portions but are used throughout the entire motions. The back contributes a lesser amount of energy than the legs but the speed contributions are substantially higher. The arms contribute less energy than the legs or back but are responsible for even higher speed. This motion is analogous to a whip motion and can be quickly identified in nearly every athletic motion.
The present invention is, in effect, an exercise device in which the athlete does not use his or her arms. The invention therefore isolates the effect of the largest energy contributors, namely the legs and then the back, on the exercise motion. By eliminating the arms from the motion and increasing the moment arm that defines the loading of the back, the result of incorrect motion is magnified. When this mechanism is used by attaching it to a prior art rowing machine, or to an exercise machine such as that described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/907,807, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, the athlete quickly learns the relationship between force, speed, and muscle group sequencing.